Selective IgM deficiency (SIgMD) is a rare immune disorder in which a person has no immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, or too little IgM, with normal levels of IgG and IgA antibodies. IgM is the first antibody the immune system makes to fight a new infection. Therefore, when a person does not have enough IgM, the body may have difficulty fighting infections. SIgMD can occur in infants, children, or adults. The disorder may occur as a primary disorder (on its own) or more commonly, as a secondary disorder (associated with another underlying disease or condition). SIgMD may occur in association with some cancers, autoimmune diseases, allergic diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases. Symptoms of SIgMD may include repeated viral, bacterial, or fungal infections, such as ear infections, bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Infections may be life-threatening. Repeated infections are common in infants with SIgMD. In some people, diarrhea or a skin rash is the first symptom. Others do not have symptoms specific to SIgMD and are diagnosed when being evaluated for another condition. The diagnosis is made by blood tests showing low or absent IgM and normal levels of other antibodies, as well as diagnosing or ruling out underlying conditions that can cause low levels of IgM. The cause of SIgMD is still unclear. SIgMD usually occurs in only one person in a family, but familial cases have occasionally been reported. It may occur in some people with chromosome disorders such as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
Summary
Selective IgM deficiency (SIgMD) is a rare immune disorder in which a person has no immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, or too little IgM, with normal levels of IgG and IgA antibodies. IgM is the first antibody the immune system makes to fight a new infection. Therefore, when a person does not have enough IgM, the body may have difficulty fighting infections. SIgMD can occur in infants, children, or adults. The disorder may occur as a primary disorder (on its own) or more commonly, as a secondary disorder (associated with another underlying disease or condition). SIgMD may occur in association with some cancers, autoimmune diseases, allergic diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases. Symptoms of SIgMD may include repeated viral, bacterial, or fungal infections, such as ear infections, bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Infections may be life-threatening. Repeated infections are common in infants with SIgMD. In some people, diarrhea or a skin rash is the first symptom. Others do not have symptoms specific to SIgMD and are diagnosed when being evaluated for another condition. The diagnosis is made by blood tests showing low or absent IgM and normal levels of other antibodies, as well as diagnosing or ruling out underlying conditions that can cause low levels of IgM. The cause of SIgMD is still unclear. SIgMD usually occurs in only one person in a family, but familial cases have occasionally been reported. It may occur in some people with chromosome disorders such as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.Selective IgM deficiency (SIgMD) is a rare immune disorder in which a person has no immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, or too little IgM, with normal levels of IgG and IgA antibodies. IgM is the first antibody the immune system makes to fight a new infection. Therefore, when a person does not have enough IgM, the body may have difficulty fighting infections. SIgMD can occur in infants, children, or adults. The disorder may occur as a primary disorder (on its own) or more commonly, as a secondary disorder (associated with another underlying disease or condition). SIgMD may occur in association with some cancers, autoimmune diseases, allergic diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases. Symptoms of SIgMD may include repeated viral, bacterial, or fungal infections, such as ear infections, bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Infections may be life-threatening. Repeated infections are common in infants with SIgMD. In some people, diarrhea or a skin rash is the first symptom. Others do not have symptoms specific to SIgMD and are diagnosed when being evaluated for another condition. The diagnosis is made by blood tests showing low or absent IgM and normal levels of other antibodies, as well as diagnosing or ruling out underlying conditions that can cause low levels of IgM. The cause of SIgMD is still unclear. SIgMD usually occurs in only one person in a family, but familial cases have occasionally been reported. It may occur in some people with chromosome disorders such as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
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About Selective IgM deficiency
Many rare diseases have limited information. Currently, GARD aims to provide the following information for this disease:
Population Estimate:This section is currently indevelopment.
Symptoms:May start to appear at any time in life.
Cause:This disease is caused by a change in the genetic material (DNA).
Organizations:Patient organizations are available to help find a specialist, or advocacy and support for this specific disease.
Categories:Genetic Diseases
When Do Symptoms of Selective IgM deficiency Begin?
Symptoms of this disease may start to appear at any time in life.
The age symptoms may begin to appear differs between diseases. Symptoms may begin in a single age range, or during several age ranges. The symptoms of some diseases may begin at any age. Knowing when symptoms may have appeared can help medical providers find the correct diagnosis.
Prenatal Selected
Before Birth
Newborn Selected
Birth-4 weeks
Infant Selected
1-23 months
Child Selected
2-11 years
Adolescent Selected
12-18 years
Adult Selected
19-65 years
Older Adult Selected
65+ years
Symptoms may start to appear at any time in life.
Symptoms
The types of symptoms experienced, and their intensity, may vary among people with this disease. Your experience may be different from others. Consult your health care team for more information.
The following describes the symptom(s) associated with this disease along with the corresponding body system(s), description, synonyms, and frequency (Note: Not all possible symptoms may be listed):
Immune System Immune System
56 Symptoms
56 Symptoms
56 Symptoms
Immune System
The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that together help the body fight infections and other diseases. This system is made up of the skin, mucous membranes, white blood cells, and organs and tissues of the lymph system, including the thymus, spleen, tonsils, lymph nodes, lymph vessels and bone marrow. Common symptoms of problems in the immune system include fatigue, joint pain, skin rash, abdominal pain or digestive issues, fever, swollen glands, repeated infections, or headaches. Diseases of the immune system may be diagnosed and treated by an allergist, immunologist, or rheumatologist.
Medical Term
Recurrent infections
Frequency
Uncommon
Very frequent
Very frequent
Always
Description
Increased susceptibility to infections.
Synonym
Frequent infections; Frequent, severe infections; Increased frequency of infection; infections, recurrent; Predisposition to infections; Recurrent infections; Susceptibility to infection
Selective IgM deficiency is caused by genetic mutations, also known as pathogenic variants. Genetic mutations can be hereditary, when parents pass them down to their children, or they may occur randomly when cells are dividing. Genetic mutations may also result from contracted viruses, environmental factors, such as UV radiation from sunlight exposure, or a combination of any of these. Learn more about genetic diseases from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
If you suspect you may have this disease, you may want to start collecting your family health history. Information such as other family members who have had similar symptoms, when their/your symptoms first appeared, or exposures to any potential disease-causing environmental factors should be discussed with your medical team. This tool from the Surgeon General can help you collect your family health history.
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How Can Patient Organizations Help?
Patient organizations can help patients and families connect. They build public awareness of the disease and are a driving force behind research to improve patients' lives. They may offer online and in-person resources to help people live well with their disease. Many collaborate with medical experts and researchers.
Services of patient organizations differ, but may include:
Ways to connect to others and share personal stories
Easy-to-read information
Up-to-date treatment and research information
Patient registries
Lists of specialists or specialty centers
Financial aid and travel resources
Please note: GARD provides organizations for informational purposes only and not as an endorsement of their services. Please contact an organization directly if you have questions about the information or resources it provides.
Clinical studies are part of clinical research and play an important role in medical advances, including for rare diseases. Through clinical studies, researchers may ultimately uncover better ways to treat, prevent, diagnose, and understand human diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
What Are Clinical Studies?
Clinical studies are medical research involving people as participants. There are two main types of clinical studies:
Clinical trials determine if a new test or treatment for a disease is effective and safe by comparing groups receiving different tests/treatments.
Observational studies involve recording changes over time among a specific group of people in their natural settings.
People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.People participate in clinical trials for many reasons. People with a disease may participate to receive the newest possible treatment and additional care from clinical study staff as well as to help others living with the same or similar disease. Healthy volunteers may participate to help others and to contribute to moving science forward.
To find the right clinical study we recommend you consult your doctors, other trusted medical professionals, and patient organizations. Additionally, you can use ClinicalTrials.gov to search for clinical studies by disease, terms, or location.
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What if There Are No Available Clinical Studies?
ResearchMatch helps connect people interested in research studies with researchers from top medical centers across the United States. Anyone from the U.S. can register with this free program funded by NIH. Researchers from participating institutions use the database to search for and invite patients or healthy volunteers who meet their study criteria to participate.
Join the All of Us Research Program!
The All of Us Research Program is inviting 1 million people from all backgrounds across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. This may one day help them find ways to treat and prevent diseases.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Use the contact form to send your questions to a GARD Information Specialist.
Please allow 2 to 10 business days for us to respond.
ClinicalTrials.gov, an affiliate of NIH, provides current information on clinical research studies in the United States and abroad. Talk to a trusted doctor before choosing to participate in any clinical study. We recommend checking this site often and searching for studies with related terms/synonyms to improve results.
Contact a GARD Information Specialist if you need help finding more information on this rare disease or available clinical studies. Please note that GARD cannot enroll individuals in clinical studies.
Take steps toward getting a diagnosis by working with your doctor, finding the right specialists, and coordinating medical care.
GARD collects data from a variety of sources to populate its website and provide accurate and reliable information on rare diseases.
GARD uses data collected from Orphanet and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) to interpret and provide information on rare diseases. This includes names, synonyms, genes, symptom frequency, population estimates and more.
Orphanet is an online database of rare diseases and orphan drugs that provides aggregated data coordinated by INSERM-US14 in Paris.
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